And at Harold's coronation, the tapestry includes a star with a streaming tail — the first known depiction of Halley's Comet. The last scene on the Bayeux Tapestry shows the Battle of Hastings.

You might ask why on earth would you make a stop to see a tapestry when Camembert cheese, hard cider and the rolling Normandy hills are beckoning? Well, because the Bayeux Tapestry, an ...